Woman speaks out about mugging terror in Doncaster

Kate Mason

A woman has described the terrifying moment she was thrown to the ground and mugged while walking home from work in Doncaster.

Nicola Merricks said she wanted to warn others after the daylight attack close to St Mary’s Roundabout.

The 25-year-old, who works as an NHS call handler and administrator, sustained a bang to the head, bruises and grazes in the early-evening attack. She said: “I saw a man following me and he seemed to walking too close to me, I crossed the road and got my phone out to make a call and he jumped on me from behind.”

“He got me in a bear hug, it was terrifying I didn’t know what he was going to do.

“A girl was raped near there a while back and that was going through my mind, I thought he might drag me away from the road, I was hysterical.

“I was struggling and he pushed me to the floor, he was trying to get my bag off my shoulder too and then he jumped up and ran off.

“I didn’t realise, but he had seen someone coming.” The man fled with Nicola’s mobile phone.

Nicola said she wanted the thank people who helped, in particular a 14-year-old police cadet.

She said: “I didn’t get his name, because I was shaken up, but he was so lovely he stayed with me and help calm me down until the police arrived.

“The boy said he had changed his route to follow me after he realised the man was walking really close to me and thought something was wrong.”

Along with the teenager, a van driver who also noticed the man’s behaviour before the mugging on Tuesday, May 12, came over to help.

Nicola said: “Since it happened I’m really wary now and I’m worried about walking places now I’ve been getting on the bus.

“I’d just say to people to be wary and trust your gut instinct - I knew something wasn’t right when I saw the man following me in the first place.”